Ten thousand I am across the heavens

This was the first time the eldest son's body had undergone such a large-scale, proactive change. Only after the emergence of extreme external environments would the eldest son's body undergo holistic evolution under the dominance of such harsh conditions.

Even the combined might of the two immortals hadn't caused such terrifying damage, nor had they forced the eldest son to alter his entire physical structure to adapt to their attacks. Yet, a group of mortals had managed to do just that. The terrifying heat forced the eldest son to modify himself into a special heat dissipation mode. Now, this behemoth's appearance is completely different from before.

It looked even more metallic, and the heat dissipation grates on its surface had turned a deep red. High-speed airflow constantly blew through it, carrying away the heat from its body. Fighter jets from the underground base swiftly flew past the eldest son's body. Because the eldest son was currently paralyzed, his ability to launch an attack was very weak, making even such close-range flight relatively safe. Based on the reconnaissance data, the organs that the eldest son had evolved to combat the high temperatures had been detected.

Radar scanning from all directions has examined the eldest son's internal structure and has yielded preliminary conclusions. The eldest son releases high temperatures from his body using principles similar to those of metal and air conditioning. The former can be directly utilized when the external temperature is extremely low, effectively freezing the eldest son's body; the latter is relatively more difficult to achieve.

Air conditioners operate by simultaneously cooling and heating. Essentially, the principle is that a gas absorbs a large amount of heat when it expands instantaneously. Similarly, it absorbs a large amount of heat when changing from a liquid to a gaseous state. This property can be used to cool the gas. Then, the gaseous liquid is compressed, resulting in a large release of heat. However, this released heat is already dissipated through the surface of the air vents and is carried away by the airflow and heat sink.

This principle can be reversed, by compressing a gaseous substance into a liquid. This process releases a significant amount of heat. The liquid is then transported to the outside, where it expands back into a gas, absorbing heat from the outside. This reverse operation could heat the eldest son's body, which would be detrimental to their subsequent plans.

If the eldest son got his hands on the air conditioner remote, even in freezing weather, it would be possible to maintain a relatively cool area within his body. Therefore, they immediately decided to target these air conditioning duct-like cooling systems. The most effective method wasn't to destroy them directly, but to take control of them through their unique control mechanisms.

This should theoretically be extremely difficult. The eldest son has very precise control over his body, and there are usually few ways to make his body escape his control.

But now that the eldest son has been caught off guard and is completely paralyzed, there's room for maneuver. Although the eldest son's internal environment is currently treacherous, the valves controlling these "air conditioning" systems are located relatively close to the body surface. After sending fighter jets to infiltrate these areas, they can use pheromones to simulate their own signals, pretending to be part of the eldest son's flesh and blood, hiding within this region. Normally, the cells guarding the tunnels won't actively hinder anything that infiltrates; when manipulation is needed, they can quickly take over. The greatest significance of this tactic is that the "air conditioning" can be reversed. It can be used for cooling in winter, and the cooling effect is even better than in summer. This means that if an extreme cold attack is launched, using the principle of air conditioning, the ultra-low temperature from the outside can be quickly conducted into the eldest son's body, allowing this behemoth to freeze relatively evenly in the ultra-low temperature.

One after another, fighter jets, their characteristics altered, fearlessly plunged into the eldest son's body. In the ensuing battle, they too would be enveloped in extreme cold, possibly perishing alongside the eldest son within his body. But at this moment, they no longer cared. Success or failure hinged on this. The continuation of civilization rested on this battle.

Meanwhile, pillars of runic roots were erected throughout the grasslands. These pillars were drawing upon the power of the frost from the grasslands, converging it towards the direction of the eldest son.

Thanks to the presence of these pillars, the once-every-ten-year blizzard subsided considerably. The intensity of the storm decreased significantly, and the temperature was not as low as in previous years. This gave those who, having failed in the royal court struggles and should have faded into history, the opportunity to rewrite their own stories.

On the grasslands, there are always some who want to become stronger, and some who are constantly seeking opportunities to change their destiny. But the vast majority of people don't change their destiny through hard work; instead, they rely on what's readily available, which is perfectly normal.

Accumulating wealth through one's own efforts requires not only hard work but also a stable social environment, which is clearly lacking on the grasslands. Those who want to achieve fame in one fell swoop always need to inherit something.

The enormous rune pillars erected across the grassland now presented one of the most precious opportunities. These pillars naturally contained a large number of Gu worms, many of which were extremely valuable. The pillars attracted many greedy individuals who wanted to seize this opportunity to acquire the Gu worms and become stronger.

This isn't hard to understand; it's like those who pull out power lines in an unfinished building. When wealth is presented to them, regardless of whether it's legal or just, there will always be someone who wants to take it.

The Ma family suffered a defeat in the royal court, and many people had no chance to enter the royal court's blessed land for refuge. At this time, they rushed to surround the nearest large and small rune pillar.

This winter wasn't particularly cold; with their abilities, they should be able to survive. Since they could survive, they needed to consider other things, such as the powerful Gu worms within this pillar. According to their observations, there were at least three fifth-rank Gu worms within it. These were incredibly valuable to the Ma family. If they could seize them, the family could quickly recover by the following spring and even have a chance to become stronger. Although they weren't entirely clear on the purpose of these three fifth-rank Gu worms, at that level, there were no useless Gu worms. So, as the runes were activated and most of the combat personnel in the underground base converged on the direction of the eldest son, leaving the various rune pillars relatively undefended, tens of thousands of Ma family warriors gathered and surrounded the pillar, preparing to dismantle it. Only about 50 genetically modified warriors were left to guard this pillar; most had been transferred to the front lines. And there were simply too many rune pillars; it was impossible to leave a large number of people guarding each one. The fact that more than 50 people are guarding this pillar proves its relatively important position in the entire formation system.

"Gentlemen, you need to see the situation clearly now. There are only a few of you left. Stop resisting and hand over the pillar obediently; you'll suffer less. I see you are all capable people. Why stay here as nobodys? Why not join our Ma family? With your abilities, becoming a guest elder shouldn't be difficult. Why make things difficult for us here?"

The current leader of the Ma family didn't launch a direct attack, but instead chose to negotiate. They had already experienced the power of the underground base. Although the opposing force was small, their firearms and diverse technological equipment posed a significant challenge. The Ma family had suffered a defeat in the great war and was weakened; it was time for them to recuperate. Losing a large number of men would be a huge loss. Even if they obtained the Gu worms, without sufficient manpower, restoring their former glory would be difficult. If these people could be persuaded to join them willingly, all their problems would be solved.

But things didn't go as smoothly as they had imagined. The soldiers stationed here had no intention of surrendering. Although everyone has self-interest, at this moment, a higher ideal occupied the deepest part of their hearts. At this moment, they were fighting for the fate of the entire world.

"Please leave, everyone. This is a critical military restricted area of ​​the underground base. It's crucial to the campaign against the eldest son. Any mishap could affect the entire operation. If you insist on causing damage, then we'll have no choice but to fight you to the end."

This siege is a matter of survival for all humanity. If the siege fails, the eldest son's growth will be unchecked. Humanity as a whole could be plunged into crisis. We are not joking. We urge everyone to prioritize the greater good and not bring annihilation upon humanity for personal gain.

The company commander in charge of guarding the rune pillar looked grave as he broadcast a message to the distant enemy. He didn't want to fight at this point, even though the rune pillar was surrounded by relatively well-prepared defensive positions and a sufficient supply of various defensive weapons. However, their manpower was simply too small. Even with firearms, they had considerable suppressive power against low-level enemies. But the enemy was ultimately the remnants of the Golden Family, possessing top-tier combat strength. If they were to hold out for a day or two, they might be able to, but ultimately, the position would certainly be breached.

Upon hearing this answer, the members of the Ma family all wore strange expressions. What did they mean by fighting for the fate of humanity? It sounded like a complete fantasy.

"Who do you think you are? Do you really think you have the right to decide the fate of humanity? Do you really think your small group has the right to fight for the survival of humanity? Why don't you take a good look in the mirror and see what you really are? Not even a single immortal among you. How do you think you have the right to save the world? Immortals are only at the sixth level. Above the sixth level are the seventh, eighth, and even the legendary ninth level. Even the living eighth-level powerhouses don't dare to say they are fighting for the survival of all humanity. What right do you have? Don't try to intimidate us with these words. We are all fighting for our own interests. What is the purpose of these rune pillars? We may not know. But to us, the purpose of these things is not important. I only have one question: will you give me the Gu worms inside?"

The company commander, surprised by the utter irrationality of the other side, frowned and tried to reason with them further: "We are not lying. The Eldest Son is not invincible. You should have already seen him. He is indeed very strong after his full arrival, but ultimately he is still a living being. Even a creature capable of adapting to most environments is not impossible to kill. The purpose of these rune pillars is to gather the power of the blizzard across the entire grassland, concentrating the once-every-ten-year snowstorm around the Eldest Son. We will use the snowstorm of the entire grassland to eliminate this terrifying monster. Destroying this rune pillar will incomplete the entire formation and reduce its effectiveness, potentially making it insufficient to completely kill the Eldest Son. And given the Eldest Son's vitality, if we miss this opportunity, once it regenerates and adapts to this attack pattern, it will be very difficult for us to find a way to defeat it. Do you really intend to disregard the survival of humanity for your own selfish desires?"

The other side didn't reply, but instead deployed their attack formation. Whether they believed everything the underground base's soldiers said or not, their actions proved that a fierce conflict was about to erupt.

On the surface, the Ma family patriarch scoffed at everything the underground base had done, saying they weren't qualified. But deep down, he already believed it. The information relayed by the family scouts told him that someone was indeed fighting his eldest son in the distance, and these people were likely just ordinary humans. They had even managed to inflict considerable damage on his eldest son. Yet, even knowing the truth, he refused to believe it, and even more so, refused to let the rest of the family know. It was a very twisted mentality.

We were all once so weak, you weren't even a hair on the head of the Golden Family. We were ants who had to submit at our feet, so why do you now have the right to be heroes who save the world? Why do you have the audacity to stand up? Shouldn't we also be ants at the feet of immortals? Shouldn't we all be struggling to survive? Why do you dare to challenge enemies that even immortals wouldn't dare to challenge? Why do you think you're qualified to be heroes! And you're actually about to truly save the world.

It was this intensification of emotions that made him increasingly extreme, and he became even more intolerant that the underground base would actually become the hero who saves the world. Out of a perverse mentality, he also wanted to find a way to destroy the rune pillars.

[To be continued]

Please add this to your favorites and vote for it! (End of Chapter)